In recent years, the use of medical marijuana has been on the increase. Indeed, at least 24 states plus the District of Columbia have made medical marijuana legal with more likely to follow. Can the widespread sale of recreational marijuana be far behind? It is already legal for recreational use in four states plus DC. This is not about whether or not marijuana should be legal for medical or recreational use, it is about the tax hurdles faced by businesses that sell marijuana. Read More

As many of you know who follow my tax musings via this blog, I recently led a team of people that shepherded a Marijuana Dispensary through the IRS Examination and Appeals functions. The dispensary in question was owned and operated by a taxpayer who in all regards was a good, honest, hard working, caring person that kept detailed records accounting for every penny.

By engaging a taxpayer with this profile up front I was able to challenge the nuanced understanding of IRC §280E – Expenditures in Connection with the Illegal Sale of Drugs, §263A – Capitalization & Inclusion of Inventory Costs of Certain Expenses & §471 – General Rules for Inventories inside the IRS without having to get bogged down with the drama of the taxpayer’s character and efficacy of intent as in the Olive Tax Court Case. Read More